Child Modeling Exploitation Prevention Act

The Child Modeling Exploitation Prevention Act (H.R. 1142) seeks to prevent the commercial use of children’s images in cases where the primary purpose is to profit from the child’s likeness rather than to market a specific product or service. The bill would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to classify "exploitive child modeling" as a form of oppressive child labor, while providing exceptions for images that possess serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.

For citizens, this legislation would establish stricter federal oversight and criminal penalties for employers or distributors who use minors under the age of 17 for financial gain in non-traditional modeling contexts. By tightening the definition of legal child labor, the bill aims to close loopholes that allow for the commercial distribution of children's images in ways that do not serve a standard advertising purpose.